Be, Incorporated was the company that developed the BeOS operating system and BeBox computer. It was founded by Jean-Louis Gassée in 1990 using money from friends in the industry, including the legendary Seymour Cray. The intent was to develop a brand new operating system entirely in C++ on a custom hardware platform. BeOS was an operating system for personal computers which began development by Be Incorporated in 1991. ... In computing, an operating system (OS) is the system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations. ... The BeBox was a short-lived dual processor PC, offered by Be, Incorporated to run their own operating system, BeOS. After initial prototypes with two AT&T Hobbit processors and three DSPs, the machines were fitted with two PowerPC 603e processors running at 66MHz. ... The tower of a personal computer (specifically a Power Mac G5). ... Jean-Louis Gassée was born March 1944 in Paris, France. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seymour Roger Cray (September 28, 1925 - October 5, 1996) was a supercomputer architect who founded the company Cray Research. ... C++ (pronounced see plus plus) is a general-purpose computer programming language. ...

The operating system was later ported to Apple's PowerPC Macintosh systems despite resistance from Apple. Just before the final release, a version that ran on Pentium-class machines, BeOS x86, was also released. Species Malus domestica Malus sieversii The apple is a tree and its pomaceous fruit, of species Malus domestica in the family Rosaceae, and is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. ... PowerPC is a RISC microprocessor architecture created by the 1991 Apple-IBM-Motorola alliance, known as AIM. Originally intended for workstations, PowerPC CPUs have since become popular embedded and high-performance processors as well. ... The box for Mac OS X v10. ... Pentium logo, w/ MMX enhancement The Pentium is a fifth-generation x86 architecture microprocessor by Intel which first shipped on March 22, 1993. ...

Significant Achievements

While the operating system never reached the point of commercial release, it did have quite a loyal following of small software developers. A few products that premiered on BeOS first:

• Final Scratch, a DJ music system that used special records on regular turntables to control digital music files was released first on BeOS.

The BeBox, with its distinctive strips of lights up the front that indicated the load of each CPU, and the outrageous GeekPort has made it a highly desirable item for collectors. The BeBox was a short-lived dual processor PC, offered by Be, Incorporated to run their own operating system, BeOS. After initial prototypes with two AT&T Hobbit processors and three DSPs, the machines were fitted with two PowerPC 603e processors running at 66MHz. ... This CPU uses numerous pins to connect to the motherboard. ... The GeekPort is a digital and analog I/O and DC power connector found only on the defunct BeBox computer. ...

Potential Acquisition

When Apple was searching for a new operating system to replace their aging Mac OS product, two final contenders were BeOS and NeXTSTEP. The deal swung towards NeXT due to the persuasive influence of Steve Jobs and the incomplete state of the BeOS product, criticized at the time for lacking such features as a printing capability. Species Malus domestica Malus sieversii The apple is a tree and its pomaceous fruit, of species Malus domestica in the family Rosaceae, and is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. ... Original 1984 Mac OS desktop Current 2005 Mac OS X desktop Mac OS, which stands for Macintosh Operating System, is Apple Computer’s name for the first operating systems for Macintosh computers. ... NeXTSTEP Desktop NeXTSTEP is the original object-oriented, multitasking operating system that NeXT Computer, Inc. ... The NeXT logo, designed by Paul Rand. ... Apple Computers Steve Jobs PR photo Steven Paul Jobs (born February 24, 1955) is the CEO of Apple Computer and a leading figure in the computer industry. ...

End of Operations

Ultimately the assets of the corporation were bought by Palm, Inc. for US$11 million in 2001, at which point the company entered dissolution. The company then initiated litigation against Microsoft for anti-competitive business practices, specifically the prohibition of OEM's to allow dual-boot systems containing both Microsoft and non-Microsoft operating systems. Palm, Inc. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in order to recover a right, obtain damages for an injury, obtain an injunction to prevent an injury, or obtain a declaratory judgment to prevent future legal disputes. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT) headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. ... In economic theory, imperfect competition, is the competitive situation in any market where the conditions necessary for perfect competition are not satisfied. ... OEM is an acronym with several meanings: Original Equipment Manufacturer Office of Emergency Management. ...

The suit was settled in September 2003 with a US$23.25 million payout to Be, Inc. September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In addition to BeOS, Be also produced BeIA, an ill-fated OS for internet appliances. It was however used commercially by Sony and DT Research, amongst others, during its short lifespan. BeIA, or BeOS for Internet Appliances was a cut down version of Be, Incorporateds BeOS for use on embedded devices. ... An Internet appliance is a consumer product which accesses services on the Internet, such as the World Wide Web or Internet telephony, but which is not a general-purpose computer and does not have a hard drive in general. ... Sony Corporation (Japanese katakana: ソニー) (TYO: 6758), (NYSE: SNE) is a global consumer electronics corporation based in Tokyo, Japan. ...

Be's corporate offices were located in Menlo Park, California; as well as regional sales offices in France and Japan. The company has however relocated to Mountain View in California for the duration of its dissolution. Menlo Park is the name of some places in the United States of America: Menlo Park, California Menlo Park, New Jersey (See also Menlo. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... Mountain View is the name of some places in the United States of America: Mountain View, Arkansas Mountain View, Contra Costa County, California - near Martinez, California Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California - in the Silicon Valley Mountain View Acres, California San Bernardino County Mountain View, Colorado Mountain View, Hawaii Mountain... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ...

Origin of the Name

According to several sources including Macworld UK, the company name "Be" had its origin in a conversation between Gassée and Be co-founder Steve Sakoman. Gassée originally thought the company should be called "United Technoids Inc.", but Sakoman disagreed and said he would start looking through the dictionary for a better name. A few days later, when Gassée asked if he had made any progress, Sakoman replied that he had gotten tired and stopped at "B." Gassée said, "Be is nice. End of story."

External Links

• Be Site (Archived)
• Be Newsletters